Expressions of Interest begin for Suburban Rail Loop East stations contract

The search for contractors to build six new train stations as part of the Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East project in Victoria is now underway. 

Expressions of Interest are now open for two contracts that will deliver state-of-the-art stations at Box Hill, Burwood, Glen Waverley, Monash, Clayton and Cheltenham. 

The SRL East stations are expected to be among the busiest in the State with 15,000 passengers anticipated to pass through Box Hill and Clayton stations each day. 

Key features of the future underground stations include plenty of natural light, hundreds of bike parking spaces as well as safe and easy connections between Metro trains, buses and trams. Each station will also have at least 5 Green Star ratings. 

Concept designs for each of the new stations have drawn inspiration from the history of each local area. 

SRL East from Cheltenham to Box Hill has been under construction since 2022 and it is expected to be operational by 2035. 

Major tunnelling works on SRL East are due to commence in 2026. The Tunnels South contract, which will build the 16-kilometre twin tunnels between Cheltenham to Glen Waverley, was awarded last year to a consortium comprising of CPB Contractors, Ghella and ACCIONA Construction. Read more about the contract award here. 

The Tunnels North contract that will deliver the remaining sections of tunnels will be awarded later this year. 

In addition, two global bidders have been shortlisted for the Linewide Alliance contract, which will build the fleet of high-tech SRL trains, fit out the tunnels as well as operate and maintain the SRL East network. 

Once up and running, SRL East will connect major employment, health, education and retail hubs in Melbourne’s east and south-east. Not only will this project slash travel times and connect people travelling on the Gippsland corridor, but it will also create up to 8,000 direct jobs during its construction. 

Suburban Rail Loop alignment map (source: Victoria's Big Build)

The overall Suburban Rail Loop development is a multi-generational investment that will transform the State’s public transport system. It will deliver a 90-kilometre orbital rail line that will link every major train service from the Frankston Line to the Werribee Line via Melbourne Airport. 

Suburban Rail Loop is being delivered in four sections: 

• SRL East – from Cheltenham to Box Hill (under construction and target completion in 2035) 
• SRL North – Box Hill to Melbourne Airport (in early planning stages) 
• SRL Airport – Melbourne Airport to Sunshine (under construction and target completion in 2029; delivered by Rail Projects Victoria) 
• SRL West – Sunshine to Werribee (in early planning stages) 

This development will also deliver three transport super hubs at Clayton, Broadmeadows and Sunshine to connect regional services so passengers outside Melbourne can travel to work, hospitals and universities without passing through the CBD. 

Source: Victoria’s Big Build – Suburban Rail Loop (1, 2, 3); Roads & Infrastructure Australia